Presentation for library information session for English Language Program Students in a Level 3 Written Communication class.

1. Introduction to Searching
for Information in the
VCU Libraries
Liz Johns
Librarian for International Students

2. Finding Information – Where to
look?
Google? Wikipedia? Library?
How do you choose?

3. When to use

5. What’s Online?
The Free Internet:
Wikipedia, YouTube,
etc.
Searchable by Google,
Yahoo, etc

6. What’s Online?
The Rest of
Internet:
Subscription Content
Professional Information
The Library can help!
The Free Internet:
Wikipedia, YouTube,
etc.
Searchable by Google,
Yahoo, etc

7. When to use the library
• After you have an idea for your topic or research
question.
• You need to find scholarly information.

8. Types of Library Resources
•Books
•Reference Sources
•Journals

9. Books
Monographs
• A relatively lengthy work,
often on a single topic.
• Good to get an overview
of a topic.
• Examples: Pride and
Prejudice, The Last Polar
Bears.
Reference Materials
• Provides the basic,
general information
about a topic, often with
key facts.
• Examples: Dictionaries,
encyclopedias, atlases,
handbooks, indices.

10. Periodicals – Journals and
Magazines
Journals
• A publication, issued on a
regular basis, which
contains scholarly research
published as articles,
papers, research reports.
• Examples: Journal of
Physics, Occupational
Medicine, Agricultural
History Review.
Magazines
• A publication, issued on a
regular basis, containing
popular articles, written and
illustrated in a less technical
manner than the articles
found in a journal.
• Examples: Newsweek,
Cosmopolitan, Southern
Living.
An information source published in multiple parts at regular intervals (daily,
weekly, monthly, biannually).

11. Periodicals - Newspapers
• A publication containing information about varied topics that
are pertinent to general information, a geographic area, or a
specific subject matter (i.e. business, culture, education).
Often published daily.

12. Different Search Strategies
Type entire question
• What happens
when you do this
in Google?
• What happens
when you do this
in the library
resources?
Use natural language
• Disagreement in
the workplace
• Disagreement on
workplace
relationships

13. Searching in the Library
Pick a few main ideas
Disagreement
Workplace
Coworkers
Relationships

14. Workplace
Disagreement WorkplaceAND
AND
narrows your search by connecting concepts

15. Call Numbers

16. “Available at
Cabell Library General
Collection”
A – M = 3rd floor
N – Z = 4th floor

17. Title
Author
Publisher
Call Number
Location

18. Call Number
Location

19. Available at
Cabell Library General
Collection
PN4756
.W367

20. Available at
Cabell Library General
Collection
BL1255
.D3513

21. Available at
Cabell Library Reference
PN4725
.J67

22. Available at
Cabell Library Special
Collections and Archives
FC9127
.R5 M6

23. Available at
Tompkins-McCaw Library
QK99.A1 R2813
2005

24. Available at
Cabell Library See Circulation
Desk
T57.62 .W56
2007

26. Upcoming Workshop
Finding Information in the Library: Part 2
March 19, 6pm
Need to know how to find scholarly or peer-reviewed articles?
The library has access to information you can’t find on Google!
Bring one of your class research assignments to work on.
Location: Cabell Library, third floor, Library Instruction
Classroom/Lab